Locomotive-engine.



J. F. WENTWORTH. LOCOMOTIVE ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. II, I915.

Patented June 19,1917.

WITNESSES iii JOHN F. WENTWORTH, OF ROCHESTER, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

LOCOMOTIVE-ENGINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 19, 1917.

Application filed January 11, 1915. Serial No. 1,671.-

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN F. WENTWORTH, a citizen of the United States, a legal resident of Rochester, New Hampshire, at present residing at 27 MillerStileroad, Quincy, Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Locomotive- Engines, and do declare the-following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention such as will enable others'skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to locomotives and has for its object to provide a means for utilizing the high efliciency of the oil engine in railroad operation where the present efficiency is only from 5 to 7% or about 9,; that of the internal combustion engine.

In the steam locomotive the space for the power plant is contracted. In running at full speed with a heavy train the steam has to be used with a low degree of expansion. In other words, the high speed of the train calls for a rapid motion of the pistons, and the heavy train (and especially is this true where there is any grade) calls for full boiler pressure for an appreciable part of the stroke. This means that there must be a large volume of steam generated. The contracted space available for the power plant does not permit the steam to be used.

with anywhere near its best possible advantage in a compound engine and no condensers can be used. This high volume of steam at high pressure means that the rate of coal burned per sq. ft. of grate surface per hour is way above the economical limit of a furnace. In a stationary plant the coal is burned at the rate of about 20 lbs. per sq. ft. of grate surface per hour. In American locomotive practice it is not unheard of to have the rate of coal consumption to go as high as 200 lbs. per sq. ft. of grate surface per hour. This fact is to a great degree responsible for the low efiiciency of the steam locomotive. In the internal combustion engine the piston speed does nothave any effect upon the efficiency of the plant. In the automobiles the efliciency is not far from 25% and in the locomotive, as stated above, the efficiency is certainly not over 7%. The automobile is not. affected by this high efficiency for the chief.

expense is tire wear and money spent when off on a trip. The railroads'however are spending millions yearly to avoid grades and steam locomotive.

(3) to'the frame (1).

curves and to otherwise make the haulage easier. It is to apply the efficiency of the automobile to the railroads where it is sadly .needed that this invention was developed.

In applying this type of engine to the railroad use the chief trouble is to obtain the efliciency of the automobile without sacrificing the control and reliability of the The pistons of this new type of locomotive should be directly connected to the drivers as is now done in the steam locomotive. It is not practicable to use a clutch to enable the engine to be started without a load and. to have the load put on the engine after starting. The applicant has a Patent 855,682, June 4, 1907, filed July 6, 1904, upon a process of using the rails and drivers to make a clutch. This gives a fair solution of the problem except it brings in an untried element which is objectionable to the railroads.

In this invention the. use of a small boiler is not a serious complication of the machine. This boiler in connection with the engine is covered by my application-561,195, filed May 13, 1910 and Letters Patent No, 1,162,423 filed Oct. 16th, 1913 and issued Nov. 80, 1915. This present application is for the arrangement of the locomotive in which this form of starting gear is applicable. In this arrangement the locomotive is simply'a steam locomotive of liberal power but limited endurance on the starting cycle. As soon as the train is once started the motive power will be switched over to .the

internal combustion cycle and the power will be increased and the endurance will be unlimited.

The figure is an elevation of this invention and shows the new and useful features which are the steam boiler, the internal combustion cylinders, the piping in combination with the frame and conventional running gear of the present locomotive. The elementsshown are as follows:

1 is the frame, 2 the drivers, 3 the floating boxes, 4 the cylinders, 5 the pistons, 6 the connecting rods, 7 the driving rods, 8 the springs connecting the floating boxes 9 is the cam shaft 10 is the cam shaft for the starting and fuel valves. 11 is the admission valve and symmetrical to the admission valves on the other side of the head are the main exhaust valves .11, 12 is the boiler, 13 the auxiliary exhaust valves, 14 the eccentrics on the middle axle and 15 the eccentric rods. These rods 15 operate a shaft 16 from which the cam shafts 9 and 10 are driven by means of suitable gears as shown by 18, 19, 20 and 21. 8 are the springs mentioned above by means of which the weight of the locomotive is hung onto the frame. The auxiliary cam shafts 16 are driven by means of the eccentric rods instead of a shaft and bevel gears so the vertical movement of the axle will not change the timing of the valves. 22 is the pipev to the starting valve located on the under side of the cylinder head at 23. 2d are exhaust .pipes leading fromsaid.

cylinders to the fire tubes of the boiler.

25 is the exhaust or waste gas stack from the boiler. 2.6 is the pipe from the bottom of'the boiler to jacketspace of thecylinders. 27 is the pipe from the top of cylinder jacket. space to the boiler.

No attemptv is made here to work out full details for this locomotive. It is no part of this inyention to design an engine. This invention is the combination of certain ele:

'ments invented by the applicant with cer-,

tain elements common to all conventional locomotives. The novelty of this invention lies chiefly in the arrangement of the cylinders and their connection withthe driving Wheels and in the means used in running" under the starting cycle. As has been stated before steam is the starting power. This steam for starting purposes is generated in 12 and is led to the starting valves located in the cylinder heads by steam .pipes 22. The steam boiler 12 is of special design only in that it has a large water space and relatively small heating surface. This boiler must'be made extra strong if any variation is made in the strength. of its construction. The principle of this boiler is to be able to keep the Water at a temperature corresponding with say 150lbs. steam pressure when the locomotive is running under the influence of the fuel explosion. In this locomo- 1 tive the drivers were made 6 feet in diameter and the cylinders 18 inches. The powerv of the locomotive under fuel should not be far from 1500 H. P. not have a rating under constant operation from fuel combustion of over 50 H. P. The steam pipes should be large enough for a boiler of say 1000. H. B. New by maintain.- ing a constant combustion in the furnace or by meansof the exhaust gases from the cylinders being led through the fire tubesof this boiler the. steam pressure can be maintained. Energyfor. starting is accumulated in theform of'thermal units stored up in the water. Under the starting cycle steam can be drawn from the boiler at a rate of 'sa 20 times the power of the fuel burned in the furnace to generate. This surplus of steam over the normal capacity of the boiler comes This boiler. .12 need tive its given number of times without allowing the steam pressure to fall below a fair working pressure. The only use in having the boiler of this small size is cheapness.

Itv would probably bepossible to take an old locomotive and by replacingv the steam cylinders with internal combustion. cylmpresent type by increasing the size of the boiler. This boiler. must be made strong enough to withstand the effect of a sudden expansion of steam. The inventor is not aware of any facts to bear him. out'on this subject but he is under the impression that by drawing off the steam rapidly as has been outlined and suddenly stopping the flow of steam that there might be an effect similar to a water hammer. If such should be the case it would have to'betaken care of by an increase in the thickness of the boiler shell and fire tubes- The fuel pumps are not shown. They would have to be driven from thecam shafts or cam sleeve directly or from the auxiliary shafts 16.. This fuel pump wouldhave to be geared so as to suit the type of engine" used whether. two or four cycle. Four cycle is shown in the figure.

The control of the power developed would come first from a control of thefuel fed to I plication. V I The inventor has proven that after an engine is heated by operation the fuel can be ignited and the engine run on a pressure of compression much lower than that needed to operate a cold englne. In place of warm- These latter two methods are not I ing the engine by operation which is impracticable the engine cylinders are shown warmed by steam from the boiler. alone does this enable the engine to operate from the start on a much reduced pressure of compression but it also enables the locomotive to be started by means of steam being admitted to the cylinders of the internal combustion engine. But for this innovation it is very doubtful concerning the practicability of steam for starting an internal combustion engine. It is very probablethat condensation would take place in a water jacketed or even normally cool engine to such a degree as to render the operation of the engine under the internal combustion cycle very doubtful even if the cylinder head was not knocked out.

Operation: Steam is kept up in the boiler as is in the case of the conventional type locomotive. To start a train steam is turned into the jackets (if the engine has been idle long) and after the cylinders have had time to warm up the locomotive and cars attached are accelerated by means of steam admitted to the cylinders. When the train has been sufliciently accelerated the engine is changed from starting cycle to fuel cycle and the work performed by energy from combustion in the cylinders. Reversing the train will be done by the use of any conventional form of reverse gear such as is provided for this type of engine. Steam can be kept in the engine jackets or not according to the type of engine used for motive power in the locomotive. All the cylinders must be controlled from one place and preferably by one lever.

What I desire to claim is:

1. The combination in a locomotive, of a frame, floating axle boxes, springs, drivers, driving rods, trucks, and internal combustion engine cylinders of the reversing type having starting and exhaust valves for the starting cycle with means for operating said valves and a steam supply for starting said engine by steam pressure.

2. The combination in a locomotive, of a conventional arrangement of frame, drivers, axle boxes, trucks, etc, internal combustion cylinders secured to said frame, pistons with connecting rods directly connected with the driving wheels or axles, cams and mechanism whereby all the valves of said cylinders may be operated to run the engine either forward or backward, starting valves provided for said cylinders, a steam supply for starting or reversing said locomotive and a steam pipe or pipes connecting said steam supply with starting valves.

3. The combination in a locomotive, of a frame, floating axle boxes, springs for boxes, cylinders secured to frame, pistons connected to the driving wheels or axles by connecting rods, starting, admission, exhaust and fuel Not valves for said cylinders, means for operating said valves, a steam boiler for supplying steam during thestarting cycle for starting the engine, for heating the train, etc.

4. The combination in a locomotive, with a conventional type and arrangement of frame, floating axle boxes, springs, driving wheels and axles, with an internal combustion plant comprising cylinders secured to the frame, pistons, connecting rods secured to the driving wheels or driving wheel. axles, Valves for the regular operation of said engine and especial starting valves whereby the locomotive may be started by the admission of steam to the internal combustion cylinders, mechanism whereby the proper functioning of the valves may be obtained and whereby the engine may be reversed or run in either direction and a special type boiler of relative large water capacity and small heating surface whereby the energy may be furnished for starting of the train. from the heat units stored in the boiler.

5. In a locomotive the combination of a conventional type of locomotive frame, internal combustion engine cylinders, of the self starting and reversing type, secured to the end of said frame in a horizontal position, pistons for said cylinders to be directly connected to the axles or drivers, means for storing energy for starting or reversing said locomotive.

6. In a locomotive, the combination of a conventional type of frame with horizontal internal combustion cylinders provided with necessary valves or ports, means for storing energy to start locomotive and train, valve gear to enable the amount of air per stroke, time of injection of the fuel and the forward and backing direction of the engine to be controlled, means for connecting the valve gear to the axles, for feeding variable amounts of fuel to the cylinders and means for preheating the air before it enters the cylinders.

7. In a locomotive, the combination of a frame, drivers, floating axle boxes, with in ternal combustion engine cylinders secured in a horizontal position to said frame, piston direct connected to the axles or said drivers, means for storing energy for starting said locomotive and train, valve gear for varying the amount of air to be taken into the cylinder per stroke, for varying the time of injection of the fuel, for operating valves to enable train to be started forward or backward, and to run forward or backward, admission, exhaust, starting and fuel valves or ports with all necessary drive from axles to valve gear.

8. In a locomotive, the combination of frame, drivers, axles, floating axle boxes, springs and other necessary running gear, internal combustion cylinders direct connected to said drivers or axles, a steam boiler mounted on said frame and means whereby the locomotive can be started by steam from said steam boiler and the locomotive after- Ward run by the combustion of fuel in the internal combustion cylinders.

9. In a locomotive the combination of a selfstarting internal combustion engine .With a conventional locomotive frame, and running gear, a boiler mounted on said frame,

10 means whereby the locomotive may be started by admission of steam from the boiler to the said cylinders and means whereby the cylinders may be warmed by having steam admitted :to the jacket spaces of said cylindens tram the boiler.

J OHN F. WENTWORTH. NVitnesses JOS PHINE RYDER, GEORGE H. RYDER, JOHN F. WE TVWOR H, Jr.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five .cents each by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents.

. ashington, J). G. 

